Maoists have issued death sermons against four villagers through posters and pamphlets pasted at Bamdah village in Jamui district and at some public places on the Jamui-Chakai road.

Police have claimed it to be a reflection of frustrations of the rebels after facing huge defeat and loss of their top leaders at the hands of security forces.

Avinash, a spokesperson of the outfit, recently appealed to armed force personnel deployed in this region to return their service weapons and go back to their native places. He said the government, on the pattern of the Green Hunt operations, has been utilising the armed forces to curb the voices of poor people in rural areas. He alleged that poor rural people have been subjected to torture and humiliation at the hands of armed forces.

Avinash, who rang up reporters, said the CPI(Maoist) had in September 2013 appealed to armed force personnel to return their service weapons, which they generally used against poor and innocent people. “Nobody has listened to our appeals and that is why the CPI(Maoist) again asks the security personnel to return their weapons and go back to their native places within December 30, 2013,” he said.

Jamui superintendent of police Jitendar Rana termed the demand a childish act. “Since the rebels had to face a huge loss at our hands, they lost their mental state and have started making such foolish pleas,” Rana said.

Rana told The Telegraph: “Since the administration started approaching people in remote areas to pave the way for development and strengthening effective policing in the district, the rebels started losing their control over poor villagers and adopting strategies to spread terror through posters and pamphlets only.”

The posters announced death sentences for Bikash Sha, Amit, Sudhir Modi, Munna Keshri and Lalo Sha, all residents of Bamdah under the jurisdiction of Chandramandi police station in Jamui, for their alleged role in protesting the district administration’s bid to remove a police camp of Bihar Military Police (BMP). The camp was set up at Bamdah in 2006 after rebels killed four traders and a village chowkidar accusing them of being police informers.

The district administration recently decided to remove the camp for security reasons but owing to opposition from villagers, the move was shelved temporarily.

On the other hand, Avinash said: “If this time the security personnel overlook our appeal, each of them would face dire consequences. Our cadre would take action against families of armed force personnel who disobey our request.”

On the rebels’ warning, a senior police officer said: “Why don’t the rebels return to the mainstream as repeatedly requested by the government? The government even offers a rehabilitation package for them.”